Latest F1 news in brief

Heavily revised Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton at the wheel…still sandbagging

'Every aero surface' changed on 2019 Mercedes
Renault targets 'lucky' podium in 2019
Red Bull-Honda can fight for wins – Vandoorne
Boullier not ruling out F1 team return
Both Haas drivers now have same manager
Rosberg no longer working with Kubica
Overtaking 'definitely easier' with 2019 cars – Magnussen

'Every aero surface' changed on 2019 Mercedes

(GMM) Mercedes had heads turning in Barcelona as the final days of winter testing before the 2019 season began.

The reigning champions, reportedly outpaced so far by Ferrari and Red Bull-Honda, emerged on track with a major aerodynamic upgrade for its new car.

Sources said the team has been working on the changes – including a new nose and front wing – since January, but it comes after speculation Mercedes was contemplating a wholesale re-think of its concept for the new regulations.

"We wanted to get our Melbourne specification ready as late as possible, but still early enough to test it," a source told Auto Motor und Sport.

"Compared to the presentation model, every aerodynamic surface has changed."

Lewis Hamilton said: "It was an improvement from last week which is a good step."

The Ferrari and Red Bull-Honda cars did not feature such radical bodywork changes as the test resumed at the Circuit de Catalunya on Tuesday.

Less clear is the pecking order below the top three teams.

"Sooner or later, the truth will come to light," Renault driver Nico Hulkenberg said. "I have never been good at reading coffee grounds."

However, it is rumored Renault is concerned that Alfa Romeo, the closely Ferrari-aligned team formerly known as Sauber, may have overtaken as the fourth force.

"Alfa Romeo looks strong, but also Haas and Racing Point," Hulkenberg said.

He said Renault has definitely improved its engine compared to 2018: "Even with the new rear wing, the extra power is noticeable," said the German.

On Tuesday, it was McLaren's Lando Norris with the fastest time.

"I hope that some of those who did fast laps today are not able to go much faster," Haas driver Kevin Magnussen told Ekstra Bladet newspaper.

"Otherwise they are really fast. But right now I'm not so worried.

"Last year it was a little clearer where everyone was, but I think a better picture will emerge over the next few days," the Dane added.

Renault targets 'lucky' podium in 2019

Nick Chester

(GMM) Renault thinks it has reduced the gap to the top three teams over the winter.

Nick Chester, the French works team's technical boss, told Spanish reporters in Barcelona that he is "satisfied" with the 2019 car.

Renault finished fourth overall last year, and now with Daniel Ricciardo in the car is targeting getting closer to Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull.

"So far it seems that we have decreased the gap a bit," Chester said.

"Nico (Hulkenberg) was fastest last week and Daniel would have done the same thing if he had not had some problems. But we know that Ferrari and Mercedes have not taken the fuel out yet.

"The car has a good balance in slow, medium and fast corners. It's an improvement on 2018," he added.

Chester also said the Renault power unit is better this year.

"I cannot say how much, but we are happy and it is a good step," he said.

"I don't know what Honda has done, but they also say that they have made progress."

He said the goal for 2019 is to be fourth, "but closer to first".

"And if we are lucky and we make a podium or we fight for it, perfect," Chester added.

As for the cars above Renault, he said: "Ferrari seems strong and Mercedes think that too, although they are running with a lot of fuel.

"I don't know about Red Bull yet, but Sauber seems to have done a good job, it seems that they are close, Haas too. It will be a good fight," said Chester.

He admitted that Renault is planning some changes to its car prior to Melbourne.

"Maybe there will be a change to the front wing, because with these new aerodynamic rules, any modification can make a big difference."

Red Bull-Honda can fight for wins – Vandoorne

This year's McLaren appears fast and it must kill Stoffel Vandoorne who is now a lowly Formula E driver

(GMM) Fernando Alonso was not the only former McLaren driver in the Barcelona paddock on Tuesday.

Also there was Stoffel Vandoorne, the ousted Belgian driver who has switched to Formula E.

But the 26-year-old is also now working as a F1 simulator driver with Mercedes.

"It's not the best fun, but it's very important for me and my relationship with Mercedes," he told Ziggo Sport.

Vandoorne said he was particularly busy for Mercedes last week, when the reigning champions got their 2019 car up and running.

"I give information to the team and they give feedback to me about what needs to be improved on the car, and we then try those things in the simulator," he said.

Vandoorne told the Belgian broadcaster RTBF that he is in Barcelona "for a few meetings".

"It's a different role for me, but it's nice to have an influence on the car," he said.

"The way they work is quite different from what I experienced at McLaren. How they prepare the car, how they prepare for the season, and the efforts they put in to succeed."

When asked about the 2019 pecking order, Vandoorne acknowledges the reports that Ferrari is leading the pack.

"It's true that Ferrari is doing really well, but I think that was also the case in other years. They seem to start very hard," the Belgian smiled.

"We know that other teams are hiding their game, so we don't know exactly.

"I think Red Bull, with the Honda engine, will have a chance to get involved in the fight for victory. It's definitely no longer the Honda engine I knew from my time at McLaren.

"Whether they are able to join the fight for the title, it's too early to say."

As for his former team McLaren, Vandoorne said: "They were able to do more laps in one week that we did in the last three winters, but it's hard to say where they are in terms of performance."

Boullier not ruling out F1 team return

Eric Boullier

(GMM) Eric Boullier is not ruling out a return to the F1 paddock.

The Frenchman, ousted by McLaren mid last year, has at least now returned to formula one with an advisory role at the French grand prix at Paul Ricard.

"My role is to maintain contact with all the players — teams, drivers, the leadership of F1. It is important to have a dialogue with them," Boullier said.

"There are different business models for the promoters, and we want to choose the one that brings us long-term success."

But former Lotus and McLaren boss Boullier, 45, says he is not obsessed about returning to F1 with a team.

"I did not try by all means to remain in the paddock," he said.

"I was there for nine years, and 22 years in racing. I didn't do everything I wanted, but maybe someday I will be back.

"I think at this stage in my career I wanted to concentrate on something else. And I guarantee that life exists outside of the formula one paddock," added Boullier.

Both Haas drivers now have same manager

Magnussen and Grosjean

(GMM) Both Haas drivers now have the same manager.

Denmark's BT newspaper reports that Kevin Magnussen has signed up with Martin Reiss, who the publication calls 'one of the most respected deal-makers in formula one'.

Magnussen had recently been without a manager.

"My role with Kevin is to help him with contracts – commercial with sponsors and sporting with teams. Advisor is a better word than manager," said Reiss.

Curiously, Reiss is also the advisor to Romain Grosjean, Magnussen's Haas teammate.

"Romain, Kevin and I have talked about it and we agree that there are no conflicts of interest," Reiss insisted.

"In fact, Guenther Steiner has told me that he sees it as an advantage that I work with both of his drivers."

Rosberg no longer working with Kubica

Robert Kubica

(GMM) Nico Rosberg insists he still is not interested in returning to formula one as a driver or team boss.

The 2016 world champion quit suddenly after beating Lewis Hamilton to the title, and is now a part-time paddock pundit and investor in the 'E mobility' industry.

So when asked if he is interested in a F1 comeback either as a boss or a driver, Rosberg said: "At the moment that is not the way I want to go.

"I had that for years as an active athlete and I could have continued," he told Stuttgarter Zeitung newspaper.

Another of Rosberg's post-racing roles was an advisor to Robert Kubica, but the pair are no longer working together.

Rosberg says helping Kubica return to F1 was "demanding and intense".

"Everyone else is trying so hard to get there that you need full concentration and dedication," he said.

"He doesn't need me anymore," Rosberg added, referring to Kubica whose eight-year wait to return to F1 from injury ends in 2019 with a Williams seat.

Overtaking 'definitely easier' with 2019 cars – Magnussen

Magnussen testing on Tuesday in Barcelona

(GMM) Another F1 driver is hopeful the new aerodynamic rules for 2019 will make overtaking easier.

There has been great skepticism that the changes, most particularly the wider new front wing, will help a chasing driver to more easily follow his rival.

But Daniel Ricciardo sounded a positive note last week, and now Haas driver Kevin Magnussen is also hopeful overtaking will be easier this year.

"I followed another car today and it really feels much better than last year," Magnussen is quoted by Ekstra Bladet newspaper.

"There are many people who said the rules would not make a difference. But for me there was a big difference today. I could actually follow the other car and after about one and a half laps I was past," he added.

"I probably would have also got past last year, but it was definitely easier.

"I look forward to seeing how it is on other circuits, as there are always factors you could have missed. But the first signs are good," said Magnussen.

"Perhaps with this big rear wing and DRS it will be even be too much and it will be too easy to get past without racing," he smiled.